The Diocese of Metuchen was created by Pope John Paul II on 19 November 1981 and is comprised of Hunterdon, Middlesex, Somerset and Warren Counties, which were previously part of the Diocese of Trenton.Our first bishop, Theodore E. McCarrick was installed 31 January 1982 in Saint Francis Cathedral in Metuchen.After his transfer to the Archdiocese of Newark, Edward T. Hughes was installed as our second bishop on 5 February 1987.Upon his retirement, Vincent De Paul Breen was ordained and installed as our third bishop on 8 September 1997.On 10 September 2001, due to Bishop Breen’s ill health, John M. Smith, Bishop of Trenton, was appointed apostolic administrator, until the installation of our fourth and current bishop, Paul G. Bootkoski, on 19 March 2002.

The 90 parishes of the Diocese of Metuchen serve a Catholic population of 636,280 out of an overall population of 1,383,217.Our 25 elementary schools and 5 secondary schools educate 10,568 students; there are nearly 33,000 children in parish Religious Formation programs.Our sole Catholic hospital, Saint Peter’s in New Brunswick, offers Christian healthcare to the infirm.Our social outreach, primarily through Catholic Charities, continues Christ’s command to care for Him in the least of His brothers and sisters.Our diocesan family is served by nearly 250 priests, 160 permanent deacons and 260 women religious.

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT: OUR DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER

All Catholics are invited to get a ‘Catholic take’ on the news by subscribing to the diocesan weekly newspaper, The Catholic Spirit.For further information or to subscribe, call 1-732-561-1990 or log onto the diocesan website: www.diometuchen.org

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish

Our Pastors

Rev. Edward Kearns

1984 - 1997

Rev. A. Gregory Uhrig

1997 - 1998

Rev. Msgr. James P. Moran

1998 - 2002

Rev. Thomas J. Serafin

2002- present

A Historical Perspective

"Be it further decreed that this parish community be committed to the patronage of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton the first native daughter of our Country to be raised a the alter, who lived most of her early life in communities neighboring this Diocese..."

With these words, Bishop Theodore McCarrick created the Parish of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton on October 30, 1984. Father Edward A. Kearns and a group of 300 families from Raritan Township, Neshanic Station, and Whitehouse came together and worked diligently and with great determination to turn their dream into a reality.

At that time, there were no buildings on the property. We needed a place to worship for our weekly masses. Thank you to the generosity of Rev. Armand Renskers and his congregation, the new parish was able to celebrate its first Mass on Christmas Eve 1984 in a truly ecumenical spirit in the Three Bridges Reformed Church. The parishioners continued to worship in this rented facility while planning our new Church. Many parishioners reached out in many acts of charity and love to make this church a success.

The words that Pope John XXIII spoke of Elizabeth Ann Seton on her beatification in 1963 seem to speak of this community as well: "In a house that was very small, but with ample space for charity, she sowed a seed in America which by Devine Grace grew into a large tree."

Our church was built on a nine acre tract of land on Summer Road. Our first rectory was located on Forest Drive which was purchased in 1985 while we were in the Three Bridges Reformed Church. It was also the site of the office and where we celebrated weekday masses.

In a short period of time, the parish had grown to 460 families. More than 225 children were enrolled in religious education classes taught by 25 parishioners in their homes and some rented facilities. By the time an architect began working on the design of our church, parish enrollment had grown to 700 families. Through the generosity and sacrifice of the parishioners, the church construction began and in a special celebration of the anniversary of its first Mass as a new parish, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish held its first Mass in the not-quite complete new church building on Christmas Eve 1989.

Bishop Edward Hughes solemnly dedicated our church and consecrated our altar and the walls of our church on November 3, 1990Our Parish Center, named in honor of the Good Shepherd, was built in 1996. This was accomplished without leaving any debt: a tremendous tribute to the spirit, generosity and deep faith of the original members of the parish. Since then we have grown from 700 registered families to over 1850 families!! Many ministries and organizations helped form this parish into a true Christian community; all are invited to take an active part among God`s people by sharing their gifts and talents.

Our new classrooms were complete and became ready for our Religious Formation Classes for the 2007-08 school year. The multi-purpose rooms are also used for other organization and ministry meetings.

A large common room for dinners and other special gatheringsand a new kitchen area have now been finished thanks to our successful fundraising. Thank you for your donations!

All are welcome to join us in these exciting times of development, growth and hope for the future!

For more History click "History" link and take a peak at the inside of the addition. Best if viewed in maximized screen.

The new "Gathered in One Place" building is complete. We began using this building for Religious Formation beginning the week of September 17, 2007.